VISIT OUR CLUB!

Meetings every 2nd & 4th Thursday, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Marriott Hotel, 21850 Oxnard Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91367 

INFORMATION

overview

What You Can Expect At A Club Meeting

Our club generally meets every 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at 7pm. Unless we have a special event (e.g., club contests, holiday gatherings, etc), our meetings are typically conducted in the following format. Guests who visit our club often first comment on our level of professionalism, organization, and friendliness.  These are the qualities we value and seek to obtain at every club meeting! 

Meeting Segments:

Every Toastmaster meeting at our club is divided into three segments.

I. Prepared Speeches. The speaking program is the center of every Toastmasters meeting. Speakers use the guidelines in their Pathways project to fully prepare their presentations.

II. Evaluations. People join Toastmasters to improve their speaking and leadership skills, and these skills are improved with the help of evaluations. This is the most important aspect of Toastmasters as you are able to receive immediate feedback for your speech in a helpful and supportive way so that you can further accomplish your speaking goals. 

III. Table Topics. In this final segment, the Table Topics Master gives members who aren’t assigned a speaking role the opportunity to speak during the meeting. The Table Topics Master challenges each member with a topical question and the speaker responds with a one to two minute impromptu response.


Meeting Roles & Functionaries:

In every meeting, we have the opportunity to sign up for a challenging roles that will not only help us keep our program orderly and moving on time, but allow us to improve our listening and communication skills.

Toastmaster
The Toastmaster is the meeting’s director and genial host for the evening. He or she will conduct the entire evening's program, including introducing participants and ensuring that the meeting runs smoothly. You won’t usually be assigned this role until you are thoroughly familiar with the club and its procedures.

Table Topics Master
The Table Topics Master provides the theme for the evening and prepares a list of impromptu questions to give members who aren’t assigned a speaking role a chance to speak. 

General Evaluator
The General Evaluator conducts the evaluation portion of the meeting and is responsible for the evaluation team: the speech Evaluators, Ah Counter, Grammarian and Timer. Additionally, he or she takes notes during the meeting to evaluate the club meeting on its timeliness, enthusiasm, preparation, organization, and performance of duties so that we may continue to improve each meeting.

Grammarian
One benefit of Toastmasters is that it helps people improve their grammar and word usage. The Grammarian's responsibility is to introduce a new word or a seldom used but challenging word to members and encourage them to use it throughout the meeting. 

Ah Counter
The purpose of the Ah Counter is to note any word or sound used as a crutch by anyone who speaks during the meeting. Words may be inappropriate interjections such as and, well, but, so and you know. Sounds may be ah, um or er. This helps us be mindful of any filler words that are distracting and it helps us refine the way in which we convey our speech.

Timer
One of the skills Toastmasters practice is the expression of thought within a specific amount of time. As the Timer, you would be responsible for monitoring time for each meeting segment and for each speaker. You’ll also operate the timing signal, indicating to each speaker how long he or she has been speaking.

Trophy Master
Within each segment - the Prepared Speeches, Evaluations, and Table Topics - we have the opportunity to vote for the best speakers. The duty of the Trophy Master is to privately collect votes and tally them. At the end of each meeting, we then have an Awards segment in which the Trophy Master presents an award to the best speaker, evaluator, and table topics speaker.

Jokemaster
The purpose of the Joke Master is to entertain the audience while our members are filling out their ballots and the Trophy Master is collecting their votes. 

PATHWAYS

What is Pathways?

Pathways is the Toastmasters education system designed to help you grow as a speaker and leader. There are eleven Paths from which you can choose, either by completing an assessment that will give you a suggested Path for you to follow or by manually choosing a Path. When you join Toastmasters, your first path is free but if you ever decide you want a different Path, then you'll have thirty days to change. 

Each Path contains five levels. Each level contains a number of projects and electives for you to complete. A project might be:

• A speech
• A number of speeches and an evaluation
• Completing a role as an evaluator, Table Topics Master,
or the meeting’s Toastmaster
• Creating a blog
• Creating a podcast
• Moderating a panel discussion

Which Paths can I choose from?

Here are outsourced links that will take you to a summary of each Path, Level, and the Projects they contain:

Dynamic Leadership

Innovative Planning

Effective Coaching

Engaging Humor

Leadership Development

Presentation Mastery

Motivational Strategies

Persuasive Influence

Strategic Relationships

Team Collaboration

Visionary Communication

How long will it take me to complete a Path?

Each Path comprises of at least 14 projects. Toastmasters is a self-paced program so it may take you 1 – 2 years or longer. Alternatively, if you’re enthusiastic, you could complete your Path in that time or less!

What can I do after I complete my Path?

It depends on your own individual goals. Toastmasters is a big organization with many opportunities. You may want to take on leadership roles in your club or within your District. Or perhaps you may wish to work towards achieving the Toastmasters highest honor – the Distinguished Toastmaster Award. To receive this award, you will need to:

• Complete two Paths
• Serve a term as a club officer
• Serve a term as a district officer
• Become a club mentor or club coach
• Be a club sponsor, conduct a Speechcraft Course, or Youth Leadership Program

Toastmasters is an international non-profit educational organization and world leader in communication and leadership development. Since 1924, Toastmasters has helped more than 4 million people become confident speakers and leaders, with its membership over 435,000 strong. Members improve their speaking and leadership skills by attending one of 15,500 clubs in more than 140 countries that make up our global network. 

Warner Center Toastmasters is a club chapter of Toastmasters International. Whether you're looking to increase your self-confidence and leadership potential, ignite your career or win that next job interview, Toastmasters can help!

Our club meetings are friendly and lively! Members offer plenty of encouragement and support to one another. You will learn and laugh as you listen to the stories, experiences, and ideas of other members. The best way to truly gauge the atmosphere of a club is to visit them - we would love to have you visit a club meeting as our guest!

Only if you feel comfortable doing so. Guest and members alike are never forced to participate, however, we encourage all in attendance to speak.

Yes! Many of our members start out feeling very uncomfortable in front of an audience. In a supportive environment supplemented by friendly coaching and through the observation of excellent role models, most people quickly grow into competent and persuasive speakers. 

As soon as a new member joins our club, they may sign up with the Vice President of Education to present a prepared speech. We encourage new members to initially take on meeting roles to familiarize themselves with the club format but if they are determined to begin making speeches, we more than welcome it!

It completely depends on your own initiative and drive. It is recommended that you sign up for speeches or different meeting roles on a regular basis. The more you put into the meetings, the more you will get out of them. Everyone in the club wants you to become a successful speaker!

Dues are payable on a bi-annual basis (every 6 months). New members may join at any time during the year and the dues are pro-rated. Further information and an application packet may be obtained from the President or the Vice President of Membership at any of the club meetings.

Membership is open to all. We invite you to join any of our meetings as a guest. After the meeting, ask the Vice President of Membership for an application form if you wish to join.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The following are a few questions that we often get asked by guests who visit our club. If you have any questions that are not listed here, feel free to contact us and we will reach back to answer them as soon as possible.

What is Toastmasters?

What is your club atmosphere like?

Will I be called upon to speak if I attend a meeting as a guest?

Can I become a member even if I am not a good speaker?

When can I start making speeches?

How dedicated is a member expected to be?

What are the dues for membership?

How do I join Warner Center Toastmasters?

- John Murray, DTM

"I consider my decision to join WARNER CENTER Toastmasters as one of the 4 or 5 most important decisions of my life."

- mark gelfond, CC, cl

"what I have received from Warner Center Toastmasters has far exceeded my expectations."

- teresa kropp, acb, alb

"my personal relationships have been enriched by what I’ve learned from the members of Warner Center Toastmasters Club"